cancel

The word “cancel” means to call off or stop something planned from happening. In plain terms, to stop, undo, or invalidate something — from an event to a subscription to (informally) a person's public standing.

“Cancel” is pronounced KAN-sl (/ˈkæn.sl̩/ in IPA).

Here is “cancel” used in a sentence: “They had to cancel the concert due to bad weather.”

Words with a similar meaning to “cancel” include abrogate, annul, belay, cease, cross out and desist.

The opposite of “cancel” — its antonyms — are commission, continue, initiate, renew and uphold.

“Cancel” is a verb.

The word “cancel” comes from Latin. From Latin cancellare, "to cross out with lines", from cancelli, "a lattice" — the same root that gives us "cancel" as crossing something out with crisscross marks.

“Cancel” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

To cancel something is to call it off so it does not happen at all, while to postpone something is to move it to a later time so it still takes place. A cancelled meeting is off entirely, but a postponed meeting is simply rescheduled. The two are often confused when plans change.

Both spellings are correct, differing by region. British English usually doubles the l to give cancelled and cancelling, while American English often uses a single l in canceled and canceling. The base verb cancel and the noun cancellation are spelled the same way in both.

Both cancel and annul can mean to make something officially invalid, but annul is more formal and legal, often used for marriages or laws. Cancel is the everyday word and applies broadly to events, subscriptions, and plans. You would cancel a booking but annul a contract in legal language.